Smile
by supervilliangirl
Summary: She made it her first mission as a not-spy to make him smile. Featuring quirky!Darcy and cute!Bruce. Rated for swearing


Title: Smile  
Fandom: Avengers  
Characters: Bruce Banner/Darcy Lewis  
Summary: She made it her first mission as a not-spy to make him smile.

Author's Notes: I just love Darcy and Bruce as a pairing, and I thought that I should contribute to the very small area of fics for them. Darcy is very quirky (maybe overly so?), and I don't think that I'll probably ever write her like this again. This is just kind of fluffy-fluff and humor. Loki is part of the Avengers because he's awesome, and Frostiron is a thing because they are my biggest OTP at the moment besides Cherik.

-0-0-0-  
"So, you turn green?" Darcy Margret Isabella Rasputia Lewis (and don't you dare laugh, asshole) decided that wasn't the best way she had ever started a conversation, especially with a cute scientist who had a nose that was just made to be played with-all squishy and big, and had phenomenal anger management issues.

She had heard much about Bruce Banner-well, she had really heard more about the big rage monster that lurked underneath, much like a pimple, painful and festering and when it came to a head it squeezed out pus like no tomorrow-

Oh my god, she was comparing a man old enough to be her father to a zit. And thinking in run-on sentences.

Jane had a "science crush" on the man, thought he was brilliant, ya da ya da. For years Darcy had sat there as her sometimes lab assistant, most times nuisance and listened to her babble on about the man and his amazing theories. Darcy liked to say that her friend had a "science boner" for said "science crush". Needless to say, Jane wasn't a fan of the term.

He almost flinched at her nonchalant wording, and she REALLY wished she had put it another way now. The scientist looked as if she had gotten a good shot in at his nads and then kicked his puppy. And then shot it. And proceeded to bury it just so that she could dance on its grave.

'Smooooooth,' she mentally berated herself, wondering if it would have been better if she had just avoided saying anything.

"Yes, I 'turn green'," he mumbled, deciding that his desk was mighty interesting and deserved his undivided attention.

Deciding that she better stop his pity party that he was obviously throwing inside of his head she thrust her arm into his personal space, cutting between him and his desk.

"Lewis. Darcy Lewis." Dammit, her name didn't have the same ring as James Bond, but that sure as hell wouldn't stop her. Neither was she British. Or a spy. Dammit.

Bruce blinked for a moment, surprised, and the corners of his lips twitched upwards, and she saw he was trying to suppress a grin. She decided that her first mission as a not-spy would be to make him smile. He made her just want to cuddle him and provide him with all the hot chocolate in the world.  
Slightly irrational, but that's what vulnerable looking men did to her. Maybe that's why she had never dated much-guys were too macho and always wanted to protect her. Maybe she SHOULD have been a guy, with the surge of protectiveness that she felt swarm her insides at the way he almost seemed to be cringing away from her hand a little.

'Woah, slow down there,' she reminded herself, smiling brightly. 'He's only said all of one sentence to me.'

"You're supposed to shake it." Darcy waved the hand in front of his face for emphasis.  
A quiet chuckle left him, and she silently congratulated herself. At this rate she would be promoted to super-sexy-secret-slightly scary-spy like Natasha.

Bruce put his hand into hers gently and gripped it like he was afraid of crushing it, which he probably was.  
"That's more like it!"

He cleared his throat and let go of her hand, spinning his stool so that he could more properly face her. "So, uh, who are you?"

Ohmygod could she purchase this man at a pet store-_please_? She was five seconds away from attacking him with cuddles and love. You know those moments where you just want to run at someone screaming "Let me love you" until they submit? Yeah? Darcy was totally having one of those moments right now.

"Not-spy Darcy here, awesome person, master of cuddling, Connoisseur of exotic teas, and proud owner of several turtles." she said proudly, placing her hands at her hips. Yeah, she had a new title, and she was totally going to work it.

It seemed that with each part of her sentence his eyebrow just continued to rise higher into his hairline until it decided that it wanted to become one with its higher up brethren.

"That's...quite a list."

"Oh, and I also collect marbles. Only on Thursdays though."

One side of his mouth crooked upwards, and his eyes crinkled slightly. Oh yeah, she was totally going to get this dude to crack a grin, teeth and all.

"Why on Thursdays?"

A shrug came, and she saw no reason to not follow through on the motion so shrug she did. "Well, who collects marbles on Sunday? I mean c'mon, can you say tacky?"

Now he was seriously pushing down a smile, and she wondered why he was fighting so hard against it.

"So, why are you...uh...here?" Bruce mentioned, gesturing to the room in Stark tower that they were in.

"Well, that's kind of a silly question, you being a scientist and all. You DO know what happens when a daddy and mommy love each other very much, right...?" Okay, she was being an ass, she'd admit. But Bruce seemed to be appreciating her wit, so who was she to stem it's wonderful flow?

"Hey hey hey, there you are! Bothering Brucie, eh? Knew you were doing something you shouldn't be!" Tony's loud voice cut off whatever response the scientist might have made.

"Daaaaaaad! We were just sharing soul-baring secrets! You always have to ruin all the fun!" Darcy whined, perking up as the billionaire came up beside them.

The most likely confused sometimes-Hulk blinked slowly. "Dad?"

Darcy slung her arms around the playboy's torso and grinned. "Yeah! Daddy Stark, meet my cuddle buddy!"  
Both men just took a moment to truly appreciate her genius (Or rather, to stare at her as if she had grown two heads. She liked her interpretation of the situation better though)

"Cuddle buddy?"

"Daddy Stark?"

"Yeah, well, you see, Starkie over here thought it would be a good idea to hit on me-" Darcy started.

"Well, you have a very nice rack," that was Tony, interrupting her explanation of his nickname.

"Why thank you. Anyways, I proceeded to tell him that I was his long lost daughter who had somehow still gotten all of his snarkiness."

"It's genetic."

"Totally."  
Nodding in agreement to their crack of shit story they turned to look at Bruce, who was looking

equal parts amused and confused.

"Sadly enough I did not _really_ come from his loins. But we like to keep that hush-hush." Darcy summed up, letting go of Tony and leaned up against Bruce's desk, which she secretly thought may have been his on the side lover. Who knew?

"So, cuddle buddy, eh?" a lecherous smile made its way onto Tony's face as he watched his friend fidget, adjusting and readjusting his glasses. Did Darcy mention he was adorable?

"That was not something I was made aware of," he finally said, looking down as his face pinked a little.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I was about to tell you the terms of our new best-friendship but then someone interrupted me." a pointed pursing of lips was shot towards Tony, who was silently watching both of them. It creeped her out just a little bit. He was either thinking WAY too hard about this or he was constipated.

"Best friends?" he repeated, eyes widening slightly, hands playing with each other nervously. God, did he have to look so flabbergasted? It was taking all of her willpower for her to not just plant a kiss on his soft looking lips right now. Geez, those things looked soft.

She nodded eagerly, her dark hair bouncing around her shoulders. Ugh, she didn't have a scrunchie with her.

"But aren't you...you know..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair. It was a sure sign of frustration, but Darcy felt like she'd like to push her luck a little further. She has freaking _Iron Man _next to her, and the building was swarming with Avengers and numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. See, she _did_ have some self preservation skills!

"Am I what? Incredibly gorgeous? Single? Why yes I am, but I think it's a little early to be asking that-"

"No," a sigh issued deep from within Bruce's chest, deeply edged with hurt. "No, I mean, aren't you afraid of me?"

"Nope!" She popped the "p", because she heard all the cool kids where doing it these days. Hopefully her grin was more "Devil-may care" than "I forgot my medication this morning."

"Yeah, someone forgot to wire this kid with a proper survival mechanism." Tony finally popped in, ruffling her hair fondly. "That's why she takes so easy to all of us, probably."

"How long exactly has she been here? Why is she here?"

She harrumphed, crossing her arms across her chest and pouting. "I'm right here."

"Yes, you are," he grinned, showing the top line of his teeth. Dammit, his almost-there smile was at her expense. Her agency of one was going to kill her for almost loosing the mission. (What can she say? She's self employed) "But you haven't been giving me straight answers."

"Touché." she mumbled, really just to have the last word. She liked having the last word. Made her feel important or something like that (or so her mother had said that at least).

"She's a friend of Thor's mistress," Tony said, finally stopping staring at them and moving on to doing something on the pad that he had carried in with him. His hair was a mess, and Darcy wondered how long ago he and Loki had been at it, with a grin. Those two were like cats in  
heat, and she never went into their room for fear of seeing one of their naked asses. (Although, she really wouldn't mind seeing Loki's ass, but she's sure that Tony would kill her).

"Dr. Foster?" Bruce asked, eyes lighting up a little. Darcy heard that the two had really hit it off when they FINALLY met, bonding over all types of things that would have made them be beat up in high school.

And was Darcy jealous? Hell no! Okay, maybe just a little, but no way is she going to say THAT out loud. There would be no end in sight for the teasing that would ensue from her "dear friend".

"Yeah, I used to be her lab assistant for awhile," Yeah, she had to act all non-chalant. As cool as a cucumber, as chill as the arctic, as-

"Oh? Would you happen to know anything about-" he started excitedly, before she cut him off before he could start spewing off science-y things. God she felt like such a cockblock. A science cockblock. Well, that was new. Should she put that into her title too?

"I don't know anything about anything. I went to college for POLITICAL science. I was only her lab assistant for lack of anyone better being available." well, she think her likeability just went down in his eyes. Damn her and her no interest in science that didn't have to do with treaties and history.

"Oh," and god, if he didn't deflate then there wasn't a word for what his expression just did. God. She was such. A. Cockblock. Officially how she was going to introduce herself now. 'Hello, I'm Darcy Lewis and I'm a great big cockblock for cute little science nerds everywhere. If you're marginally cuddly looking and or dorky you need not apply, because I sure as hell will crush your science boner then and there.' Yep, totally sounded good. She wondered how that would look on a business card.

"So, now that you've crushed Brucie's hopes here of you being a nerd woman, what were your plans for the day Darcy-baby?" Tony drawled, looking up from whatever he was doing on his super-advanced-even NASA don't have this shut yet-pad. It was better not to ask sometimes, because most of the time she didn't understand half of what he was saying anyways.

"Well, I was thinking of actually getting out of here for once. You know, see Manhattan, get fresh-polluted, but fresh air." she answered, wondering why Bruce suddenly looked so puzzled.

"Wait, how long have you been here? You sound like you've been here for awhile..."

Score: Bruce: 1, Darcy: -0. That corner looked awfully appealing. Maybe she would go pout in it for awhile.

"Wow, way to be observant," Tony laughed, eyes cutting over at Darcy as if to say "I see your reaction there. I see that you want to have his fluffy haired children. Who you hope will be green. And have seventeen cats. And work at Hooter's."

Well, okay, maybe he didn't know all that, but it was pretty close. That man had some soulful eyes, dude. And it would just be like him to read her emotions as "Wanting to work at Hooters".

"How long?" The scientist asked again, a slightly worried frown greasing his face. Well, he should be worried! He hadn't noticed her prescience for-

"About a month, I'd say, give or take a few days." Tony answered, looking for confirmation from Darcy, which she gave with a nod.

"I-I'm sorry..." Bruce started to stutter, a blush starting from his neck and working its way towards his cheeks. Well, if that wasn't cute then Darcy didn't know what was.

"Its fine," well, it really wasn't, she had been making eyes at him for most of the month she had been there, and he hadn't even noticed her _existence_. That stung a little bit.

"Avengers, we have a situation." Steve called out as he ran past the door, half hopping as he shoved himself into his tights. Yum, that wasn't a sight a girl saw every day.

"Is...is the Other Guy needed...?" Bruce said quietly, as if almost afraid of the answer.

"Yeah, probably. Looks like its Skrulls," Hawkeye said as he walked past the open door. Speaking of a sight a girl didn't see every day...Clint sure had a nice ass. Of course, if she said that out loud Natasha would probably crush her with her thighs. What a way to go. (Hey, Darcy appreciated hot, regardless of gender)

"C'mon Brucie, gotta suit up. Get your green on and all that," Tony said as he headed for the door. As an afterthought he saluted to Darcy. "Ask JARVIS if you need anything, Darcy babe!"

"Okay Daddy cakes!" she shouted back. Just to be an ass like that.

Loki grimaced as he walked by (why the hell was everyone walking by here? (Was there something vital on this floor that she had missed? Damn all of these superheroes and their secret rooms and sexy-ness.)

"I'm not even going to pretend to be bothered by that anymore, Darcy," he called, poison green eyes lighting on her for a moment. She smiled innocently. "You too, mommy!"

Ever since she had learned that Loki could indeed give birth and had before, that had been his obvious nickname, especially since he and Tony were together.

"Don't make me kill you. Slowly." his mouth whirled upwards and his lips parted to show a dangerous smile. Thankfully she had no self preservation instinct as Tony had earlier mentioned.

"I love you too! Kill one of those creepy ass aliens for me!"

A chuckle sounded behind her and she whirled around to see Bruce trying to not grin. _Again._ What was _with_ this dude? (of course, she knew the answer to that one, but still...) He stopped himself every time he started to show strong emotion of any kind it seemed, even happiness, which was weird, because who _didn't_ like being happy?

This time she followed through with her instinct to wrap him in her arms, his goofy looking lab coat and all.

At first he seemed shocked and made no movement-to pull back or forward. It was AKWARD hugging someone who was trying to impersonate a plank, but she persisted. No one had ever accused her of giving up.

"My first mission as a not-spy is to make you smile," she said as she leaned up on her tiptoes to reach his ear.

She felt more than saw the smile-not a half-baked thing, an actual widening of his mouth, as he buried it against her shoulder and hugged her back.

Yeah, she was awesome.


End file.
